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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. stand — to bear
  4. date — the fruit
  5. mate — to breed
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. content — the amount
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. mate — a partner
  11. craft — boats
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. game — wild animals
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — a skill
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mate — a friend
  19. content — happy
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. game — a match
  24. stand — on your feet

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com